Armed Militas, The Antichrist, and Obama by Chip Berlet

[Shallah Kali]

http://www.talk2action.org/story/2010/3/29/1470/71194/Front_Page/Armed_Militas_The_Antichrist_and_Obama


hat armed militias in the midwest were preparing for an actual battle with agents of the Antichrist is not a surprise. Fear mongering has become epidemic on the political right. Why now? Since the millennium comes at the end of the Tribulations, its approach is constantly expected, and not necessarily tied to any specific date. So warnings that Obama is either the Antichrist or in service to the Satanic plan to build a New World Order are taken seriously by some fundamentalist Christians.

Background Research Here:

Taking Tea Partiers Seriously. Cover story in February Progressive magazine by Chip Berlet.
http://www.progressive.org/berlet0210c.html

Angry Voters, Right-Wing Populism, & Racial Violence-- Religion Dispatches
http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/religiousright/2218/

Dances with Devils Apocalyptic Belief and the Antichrist
http://www.publiceye.org/apocalyptic/Dances_with_Devils_TOC.html

Toxic to Democracy Apocalyptic Fears and Conspiracy Theories
http://www.publiceye.org/conspire/toxic2democracy/index.html

Right-Wing Populism and Aggression Resource Pages
http://www.publiceye.org/right_wing_populism/index.html

snip

Fuller ties the millennialist viewpoint to the larger issues of demonization and scapegoating when he argues that:


==="Many efforts to name the Antichrist appear to be rooted in the psychological need to project one's "unacceptable" tendencies onto a demonic enemy. It is the Antichrist, not oneself, who must be held responsible for wayward desires. And with so many aspects of modern American life potentially luring individuals into nonbiblical thoughts or desire, it is no wonder that many people believe that the Antichrist has camouflaged himself to better work his conspiracies against the faithful."


As Pagels dryly observes, "Satan has, after all, made a kind of profession out of being the 'other'."

Landes argues that the rise of what he terms "apocalyptic scapegoating" in the current period of millennialist expectation needs to be taken seriously, especially the resurgence of antisemitism. Given the centuries old Christian charge of evil linked to magical or devious Jews, at least some form of demonic antisemitism is intrinsic to most conspiracist thinking in Western cultures, even when it is unconscious. Modern theocratic movements of Christian nationalism are implicitly antisemitic, and much of the worldview of the patriot and armed militia movements draws from historic antisemitic conspiracist theories. In the case of some current neonazi movements such as Christian Identity, antisemitism is both overt and pivotal to the worldview. Christian Identity is discussed as a movement later in this book, but here we note its roots in Millennialist British Israelism, which employed antisemitism typical of many Christians during the Victorian period. Identity, as it emerged later in the US, adopted the myth that Jews were the literal spawn of Satan and cast Jews in the role of agents of the Antichrist.

Visions of the Antichrist are common not only in the far Christian right, but in relatively mainstreamed sectors of the new Christian right. As Fuller observes:


==="Today, fundamentalist Christian writers see the Antichrist in such enemies as the Muslim world, feminism, rock music, and secular humanism. The threat of the Antichrist's imminent takeover of the world's economy has been traced to the formation of the European Economic Community, the Susan B. Anthony dollar...and the introduction of universal product codes."


While antisemitism is center stage in some Christian millennialist scenarios, the potential for misogynist interpretations should not be overlooked. In describing the symbolism in Revelation, one recent Catholic commentary cautions against negative stereotyping of women. This is a needed caution, because anti-feminist, misogynist and homophobic interpretations of Revelation are widespread. A brochure with an apocalyptic subtext from Texas Eagle Forum was titled: Christian Be Watchful: Hidden Dangers in the New Coalition of Feminism, Humanism, Socialism, Lesbianism. As Lee Quinby has noted, while it is difficult to predict the outcomes of millennial moments, the current manifestation is unlikely to be good for women. Homophobic themes are also flourishing among contemporary apocalyptic movements.

More at the link: http://www.talk2action.org/story/2010/3/29/1470/71194/Front_Page/Armed_Militas_The_Antichrist_and_Obama

[DesertFlower]

1. just the other day a christian told me

that obama is paving the way for the antichrist.

[BR_Parkway]

4. I love to reply "just like God planned, isn't it wonderful?" when people

say shit like that - that 'deer in the headlights' look is one of my guilty pleasures in life - on one hand, they want to believe that the Bible is literally written almost from the pen in God's hand and that He's got a plan for everything. On the other, they're scared to death of said plan. But, but, but - that's not what the preacher said....

[marybourg]

2. Was there this much stupidity and ignorance during the Middle Ages?

[pnorman]

3. K & R!

(For those links)

[ck4829]

5. K&R

[Shallah Kali]

6. How people get recruited into coercive groups: A view from an ex-Quiverfull survivor

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2010/3/17/847122/-How-people-get-recruited-into-coercive-groups:-A-view-from-an-ex-Quiverfull-survivor

by dogemperor Wed Mar 17, 2010 at 10:07:53 AM PDT

Probably one of the main questions--right next to "How do we stop dominionists?"--I'm asked when writing is "Why do into coercive religious groups in the first place?"

One thing to note is that, in general, people less join a coercive group and more are recruited into a coercive group or are raised in a coercive group.

A new article by Jonathan Rice and Vyckie Garrison--the latter of whom runs No Longer Quivering, a support forum for ex-Quiverfull survivors--gives a glimpse of how coercive group recruitment works from a first-hand view.

* dogemperor's diary :: ::
*

A glimpse on a disturbing dominionist movement

Some of my longterm readers may be familiar with the term "Quiverfull"--I've mentioned it in my series on religiously motivated child abuse in relation to Michael and Debi Pearl (a series that is, unfortunately, timely again due to the recent death by chastening rod of a seven-year-old girl) and particularly in regards to my writing on Bill Gothard's "Bible-based" coercive group empire.

For those uninitiated, "Quiverfull" is a movement within both "independent fundamentalist Baptist" and neopentecostal-dominionist (including New Apostolic Reformation/Joel's Army) circles that promotes the idea of dispensing with any form of contraception whatsoever--even the rhythm method is prohibited--and actively attempting to have as many children "as God will allow".

In NAR circles in particular, this is explicitly seen as a method to breed as many future members of "God's Army" as possible using justification not dissimilar to that of the King of England in "Braveheart" ("If we can't burn them out, we'll breed them out"); segments of the Quiverfull movement also increasingly push for home births without medical assistance and even "unregistered births" (where the birth is never registered with the state Department of Human Resources or other state birth registries and where the child is never signed up for Social Security).

snip

Promotion of "Quiverfull" is commonly done via dominionist correspondence-school circles promoting themselves as "Christian homeschooling"; the Pearls' and Gothard's empires have largely grown, in fact, through dominionist correspondence-school support networks.

A related phenomenon is that of "purity balls"--also written about in part one of my series on religiously motivated child abuse--where daughters sometimes as young as four are symbolically "married" to their fathers until such time as they are married legally--often to an arranged spouse.

[L0oniX]

7. Don't worry. When it's a christian militia, they are criminals. When Muslim, they are terrorists.

:crazy: :wtf:

[Shallah Kali]

8. this level of violent speech and actions from any non-Christian group......

would have many howling for blood, demanding mass arrests, racial and religious profiling. It would be funny if it was not so deadly serious how fanaticism and literal demonization of anyone not of that groups beliefs is discounted just because the perps are white christians.